Albert bosshaed



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFI E.

ALBERT BOSSHARD, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

. VALVE FOR COLLAPSIBLE FLOATS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 258,881, dated June 6,1882.

Application filed January 27, 1882. (No model.) I

ing is a specification.

- The object of my invention is to provide a ready means for filling theempty spaces of a ship below the decks thereof with confined atmosphericair, so'that said confined air will displace water which may haveentered the ship or occupy the space which incoming water wouldnaturally usurp when the ship has sprung a leak. I accomplish thisobject by the means illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a central longitudinal section through a ship or vessel,showing the elastic sacks or bags in position. Fig. 2 is a sectionalside elevation, partly broken away, of. two adjacent sacks or bags andtheir connectingtube. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the valve before beingput in place. Fig. 4 is a longitudinal section through the valve andconnectingtube, the valve being shown open. Fig. 5 is a longitudinalsection through the valve and connecting-tube, the valve being shownclosed.

Similar letters of reference are used to desi gnate like partsthroughout the several views.

In carrying out my invention 1 construct a series of elastic sacks orbags, A, and connect them by means of metal or other tubes, B, the endsof each tube extending into the mouths of the opposed sacks, and thusthe whole se-' ries are connected together. The inner end of eachconnecting pipe or tube is provided with a peculiarly-constructed valve.It consists of a fillet or piece of india-rubber or gutta-percha, C,provided with a disk or valve which is intact and of sufficientcircumference to fit over the end of the bore of the connecting pipes ortubes. From this inner disk or valve extend radial arms and intermediateopenings at suitable distances apart, and the whole islaid over the endof the tube and confined by the radial arms or flaps by any suitablemeans. The intactdisk or valve C fits closely over the inner end of eachof the tubes, so that when air is forced into the first tube this littlesack or valve will expand inwardly and provide spaces a between the armsor flaps for the passage of air into the bag or sack, which, whensufiiciently inflated, will open the succeeding valve, and so on to theend of the series of sacks until all have become filled with air whichis being forced into the first sack of the line. It will thus be seenthat as each sack is being filled the backward pressure of the incomingair will close the valve tightly over the end of the tubes and preventany return or passage of the atmospheric air, and that each sack of theseries is made independent of the others throughout the whole line.

The operation of these valves is best illus trated in Figs. 2, 4, and 5.

Ipr efer to arrange my air-bags in a double series or line from stem tostern along both sides of the vessel, just'below the decks, as shown inFig. 1. By this arrangement a more even keel can be kept than if asingle line or series'were employed, as the stem end of the lower seriesof buoys will be first fully inflated, which will keep the head or bowof the vessel up, and more especially would this be the case if theinflation be made by means of one pump only at the bow, or with thefirst one of the series of buoys of the upper line. Y

The pumps for inflating the buoys may be of any wellknown simpleconstruction and be connected with the first bag of the series at thebow; or several pumps may be connected 'alon g the whole line of buoys,within easy reach of the passengers or crew of the ship, the objectbeing to effect a rapid and easy inflation of the whole system withoutdelay. The bags are clewed up to the sides of the ship by lines 1), soas to give room for inflation and prevent injury from the shifting ofcargo.

object to free a leaking or water-logged ship from water by forcing thesame through the seams or other apertures through which it has gained oris gaining access to the interior of the hull or body of the ship, butby occupying with confined atmospheric air any vacant space in thevessel which would be occupied by the incoming water, and therebypreventing, forwant of tenable space, the water from filling the vessel,or to displace the water after it has entered and filled, or nearlyfilled,

It should here be observed that itis not my through which air is causedto pass when said valves are inflated, and adapted to be closed I 5 bythe backward pressure of the air upon the said disks or fillets,substantially in the manner as herein set forth and specified.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto set my hand andseal this 22d 20 day of December, 1881.

ALBERT BOSSHARD. [L- S.|

Witnesses:

O. W. M. SMITH, \VILMER BRADFORD.

